150 Assembly Proceedings, April 22-May 10, 1718.

U. H. J.

Thereupon M^r Speaker with the Rest of that house Attend
Accordingly, where his Excellency is Pleased to bespeak as
well this house as the Gentl of the Lower as foll

Gentlemen of the Upper & Lower Houses of Assembly¹

You have in the preamble of this wholesome Bill so fully
expressed your Inducements & necessity for preparing it, that
I shall readily pass it into a Law
And tho I am under no Obligation of giving my Reasons on
the Occasion, yet that persons concerned may know my Senti-
ments, I now declare that I take it to be highly unreasonable
the Papists & their Adherents, who when It was in their
Power shewed such a notable disaffection to our Laws, should
be permitted to vote for the Election of Members of the Lower
House who compose so Essential a part of the Legislature of
this Province
John Hart

p. 55

And Imediately thereupon His Excellency in the Presence
of both houses Passes the Supplementary Bill to an Act for
Electing and Summoning Delegates to serve in succeeding
Assemblys &c^a Into An Act.
On Hearing the Allegations and Pretentions of the Prose-
cutors on the Petition of Part of the Inhabitants of Dorchester
County Against the Justices of that County for Selling the
Amerciaments that have Arisen due therein for many years
Past Contrary to the Directions of an Act of Assembly of this
Province, And on hearing their Defence thereto,
Tis put to the Question whither the Justices cou'd Dispose
of the Amerciaments in the manner they did or not
Resolved that as to what Amerciam^ts have arrisen due since
the year 1698 the Justices had no Right to Dispose of them, for
that they ought to have been Collected And Accounted for by
the Sherriffe for that Countys use, but as to what arrose due
before that time the Justices might Dispose of as they Pleased
& Ordered that M^r Goovert Loockerman account upon Oath

p. 56

with the Justices of Dorchester County for the Amerciaments
from 1698 Till 1706, And that he pay for the use of the said
County what shall appear to be due to them after his Sallary
Deducted for Collection And Eight thousand p^ds of Tobacco
already paid them being the Consideration of the Purchase,
And that if it shall Appear he has not Received to the Sum of

¹ The text of this address is not in the original record, though a blank space is
left where it should appear. It is supplied from a contemporary copy of the Pro-
ceedings contained in the Archives.